Gold Perpetual Contract Specs on BloFin: XAUUSDT and XAUTUSDT Explained

Every perpetual contract is defined by a small set of specs: what it references, how much of the underlying one contract represents, how much leverage it allows, how finely you can price and size an order, and how often funding changes hands. These aren't background trivia. They're what turns a directional view into an actual position size, and misreading one field, contract value especially, is how a trader ends up with a position many times larger or smaller than intended. Gold perpetuals carry the same fields as any crypto perpetual, but which reference asset you're actually tracking is a gold-specific wrinkle that doesn't come up on a Bitcoin or Ether contract.

On BloFin, that reference-asset question splits gold into two separate perpetuals. XAUUSDT tracks a spot-gold price index; XAUTUSDT tracks the Tether Gold (XAUT) token. Both are linear, USDT-settled contracts that never expire, one contract is 0.001 of the underlying, leverage is tiered up to 100x and 75x, and funding settles every four hours.

Those are contract specifications, not a trading tutorial, so if you are new to perpetuals the BloFin Futures overview and perpetuals vs futures come first. This guide is the reference layer: what each spec field means and its current value on both gold contracts.

What this guide covers: the reference values for both gold perpetuals, what each field means, how the two contracts differ, and which specs are fixed versus dynamic. What it leaves to dedicated guides: the mechanics behind the numbers, leverage and liquidation and crypto margin trading. It covers BloFin's crypto perpetuals, not a COMEX gold futures contract or a physically deliverable product (source: CFTC: the economic purpose of futures markets).

The two gold perpetual contracts at a glance

BloFin's gold perpetuals share the same shape and differ in what they reference and a few numbers. Both are linear USDT-margined swaps with no expiry; the differences are the reference asset, the tick size, the leverage ceiling, and the order caps. Here are the current values from BloFin's live contract information:

The values come from BloFin's current contract information (source: BloFin XAUUSDT contract information) (source: BloFin XAUTUSDT contract information). Every number here is a live, exchange-controlled value, so treat the contract-information page as the source of truth and re-check it before you trade, because several of these fields can be adjusted by the exchange. Read the table top to bottom before opening a position. The first row tells you what you are actually exposed to. The middle rows tell you how finely you can size and price an order, and the last rows tell you the leverage ceiling, how you settle, and the cost cadence of holding. The rest of this guide walks those rows in the order that matters when you are setting up a trade.

What each contract specification actually means

A spec table only helps if the fields are clear. Contract value is the gold one contract represents, so at 0.001, one XAUUSDT contract is 0.001 XAU of exposure and one XAUTUSDT contract is 0.001 XAUT. Tick size is the smallest price step; min and step size are the smallest position and increment.

The most common beginner error is reading "1 contract" as "1 ounce," so translate contracts into gold units before you size a trade. Because the multiplier is 0.001, you multiply your contract count by 0.001 to get the amount of gold: 500 contracts is 0.5 XAU, and 10,000 contracts is 10 XAU. The order caps work the same way. XAUUSDT's maximum limit order of 10,000,000 contracts is 10,000 XAU, and its maximum market order of 1,000,000 contracts is 1,000 XAU; XAUTUSDT's caps are 525,000 contracts (525 XAUT) for a limit order and 105,000 contracts (105 XAUT) for a market order, taking each contract's caps from its contract-information page in the table above. Reading the raw contract count as ounces would overstate a position by a thousand times, the mistake the base-unit conversion prevents.

Tick size matters for the same practical reason: XAUUSDT prices in 0.01 steps while XAUTUSDT prices in 0.1 steps, so a stop or limit you place has to land on a valid increment, and the finer tick on the index contract lets you set levels more precisely than on the token contract. The step size works on quantity the same way price ticks work on price: because both contracts move in whole contracts of 0.001, the smallest change you can make to a position is 0.001 of the underlying. The minimum order and the step size are the same unit, so there is no separate larger minimum to clear before you can open, and you add to or trim a position in the same 0.001 increments you opened it in.

How XAUUSDT and XAUTUSDT differ, and when it matters

The two contracts look almost identical but reference different things, and that is the specification that matters most: XAUUSDT is priced from a spot-gold index and tracks the gold price itself, while XAUTUSDT is priced from the Tether Gold token, where one XAUT represents one fine troy ounce according to the issuer (source: Tether Gold).

That distinction drives the smaller differences in the table. XAUUSDT carries the higher leverage ceiling, up to 100x at its smallest tier, and a finer 0.01 tick; XAUTUSDT tops out at 75x with a coarser 0.1 tick, and its order caps are much smaller in absolute terms. Practically, if you want exposure to the gold price, the spot-index contract is the direct route; if you specifically want exposure tied to the XAUT token, or you already hold it, the token contract is the match. The two are not interchangeable. Their prices can drift apart when the token trades at a premium or discount to spot gold. A stop level or a hedge set on one does not carry over to the other, because they can sit at different prices at the same moment. When you are deciding, the reference asset, tick size, leverage ceiling, and order caps are the four fields that actually separate them; everything else, from USDT settlement to the four-hour funding cadence, is shared. The choice therefore comes down to what you want to track: spot gold, or the tokenized product. Whichever you pick, confirm the ticker before every trade, since the two are easy to mix up and a position on one is not a position on the other.

Leverage, funding, and settlement as contract specs

Some contract specs are really pointers to mechanics covered elsewhere; here they are as reference values. Leverage is tiered: the 100x and 75x ceilings apply only at the smallest position tier and step down as size grows, through ten bands on XAUUSDT and thirty on XAUTUSDT (source: BloFin XAUUSDT position tiers) (source: BloFin XAUTUSDT position tiers).

Both contracts are USDT-margined and settled, and both are linear, so your profit and loss are denominated in USDT rather than in gold, and you never need to hold gold to trade them. Funding is a defining spec of a perpetual, and on both gold contracts it settles every four hours, at 00:00, 04:00, 08:00, 12:00, 16:00, and 20:00 UTC (source: BloFin: funding rate introduction). That is the cadence, not a fixed rate; the rate itself floats and is not a durable spec, so an evergreen reference lists the interval, not a number. Because these are perpetuals, there is no expiry or delivery date, which is the structural difference from a dated futures contract: the funding mechanism, not a settlement date, keeps the price tethered to gold (source: Investopedia: Perpetual Futures). How much leverage to actually use, how much margin to post, and how the funding rate is calculated are separate topics with their own guides; the specs here just fix the ceilings, the settlement currency, and the funding cadence you are working within. For example, the four-hour cadence means timing matters at the margin: open a position at 03:59 UTC and the 04:00 settlement lands on it almost immediately, while opening at 04:01 leaves nearly four hours before funding first touches it. Treat the leverage ceiling as the maximum the smallest tier allows rather than a recommendation, since the tier schedule quietly lowers it as your position grows.

Mark price, trading hours, and the specs that change

Two things a spec sheet should make explicit are which price governs your position and which fields are not fixed. Liquidation, margin ratio, and unrealized profit and loss are all measured against the Mark Price, a smoothed reference price, not the Last traded price on the chart (source: BloFin: understanding index, mark, and last price).

A sharp wick on the Last Price can look alarming without moving the Mark Price that actually decides your liquidation, which is why reading your risk off the chart's last trade can mislead you. The other point is that several of these specs are dynamic. The contracts trade around the clock, but for XAUUSDT the exchange notes a caveat: outside the primary gold market's regular hours, liquidity can thin and order placement may be restricted to reduce-only (source: BloFin: XAUUSDT listing notice). So 24/7 does not guarantee that every opening order is accepted at every moment. Order caps, the leverage tiers, the fee schedule, the index parameters, and even the contract value are exchange-controlled and can be adjusted over time, and fees in particular are VIP-tiered rather than a fixed per-contract number, so a spec sheet should not freeze a fee rate in place. The most stable specs are the contract's basic shape, its reference asset, and its USDT settlement; the exchange-controlled values live on the contract-information and position-tier pages, which is why this guide points you to those live pages rather than copying a launch announcement. All of this sits underneath the bigger portfolio question of whether leveraged gold belongs alongside your crypto at all, which is its own discussion in Bitcoin vs Gold.

Frequently asked questions

Do the two gold contracts share the same funding rate?

They share the schedule, not the number. Both XAUUSDT and XAUTUSDT settle funding every four hours, but each contract's funding rate is set from its own market and floats independently, so the two can show different rates at the same settlement. If you hold both, budget funding for each separately rather than assuming the token contract costs the same to hold as the index one.

What is the difference between contract value and notional value?

Contract value is the fixed 0.001 multiplier per contract, an exchange-controlled setting but the same for every contract of a given instrument. Notional value is what your position is worth: the number of contracts times 0.001 times the price. Your margin and funding scale with the notional, not the contract count, so the same number of contracts represents more value as gold rises.

Can I hold both XAUUSDT and XAUTUSDT positions at the same time?

Yes. They are separate instruments with their own positions, so you can hold either or both. In isolated margin each position has its own collateral; in cross margin they draw on a shared balance. Being long one and short the other is a basis trade on the gap between the index and the token, not a flat hedge, because the two prices can move apart.

What happens to my XAUTUSDT position if XAUT trades away from the gold price?

Because XAUTUSDT follows the Tether Gold token's market price, a premium or discount of the token to spot gold shows up in your position even when spot gold itself is flat. The spot-index XAUUSDT does not carry that token basis. It is the practical reason to know which contract you are on: the token contract adds the token's own price behavior on top of gold's.

Does a smaller tick size mean lower trading costs?

No. Tick size is the smallest price increment, not a fee. XAUUSDT's finer 0.01 tick lets you set prices and stops more precisely than XAUTUSDT's 0.1 tick, and a finer tick can allow a tighter spread. But your real costs are the maker or taker fee, any spread or slippage, and funding, which you may pay or receive depending on your side. The tick size sets none of those.

If BloFin changes a contract spec, does it affect my open position?

Usually for future trades, not your open position. Fields like the leverage tiers, order caps, and index parameters are exchange-controlled and do change over time, but when BloFin last adjusted the XAUUSDT tiers it stated that existing positions were not affected. Still, a spec you read once is not permanent, so check BloFin's announcements and the live contract-information page before relying on a number for a new trade or before adding to a position.

Researched and written by the BloFin Academy editorial team with AI-assisted drafting. All facts independently verified. Updated July 2026. Sources cited inline include BloFin's current gold contract-information and position-tier pages (XAUUSDT and XAUTUSDT), BloFin's funding-rate and mark-price documentation, Tether Gold, Investopedia, and the CFTC.

This article is educational content, not financial advice. Trading gold perpetual contracts with leverage carries risk of loss beyond your initial margin, including full loss of the margin on a position through liquidation. Gold's past price behavior does not predict its future results. Consider your own risk tolerance and consult a qualified professional before opening a position.